Top of Mind: 6 Ways to Stick to Your New Year’s Resolutions All Year Long

I don’t usually make resolutions. I feel like resolutions can set you up to fail and are often about what you are not going to do, or what you are going to stay away from. I do best if I am working toward something, so I’m a fan of setting goals and focusing on the way they will impact the bigger picture. I break the goals into smaller parts and then start knocking things off the list.

I maintain my resolutions by knowing that I’ll continue to gain experience, both from my successes and my failures. What I learn in the process will ultimately give me insight and confidence to tackle the next challenge.

I categorize my resolutions (e.g., personal, health, social, career) and create separate quarterly metrics against each of them. Similar to how a business creates an annual strategic plan, I create a personal strategic plan. First I pick reasonable stretch goals that I know I can achieve. Next I evaluate how I’m performing against my resolution metrics on a monthly and quarterly basis. Finally I adjust my actions to ensure that I hit those annual resolutions.